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Daily Trust clinched newspaper of the year award

Day Daily Trust clinched newspaper of the year award

From left: Nurudeen Oyewole, Ujorha Tadaferua Onosem, Kamaldeen Ademola Oladosu (General Manager, Southern Operation), Nasir Lawal Abubakar, winner, Editor of the Year Award, Mohammed Shosanya, Muideen Olaniyi of Daily Trust at the NNMA Aware
As announcers reeled out the names of winners and runners-up in the different categories of the 2016 edition of the Nigeria Media Merit Award (NMMA), suspense among hundreds of journalists at the Banquet Hall of the Federal Palace Hotel, Lagos, was palpable.
Then it came to the two most prized awards for print journalism: The Editor and Newspaper of the Year Award categories. While there was a deafening silence in the hall, there were also anticipations.
For the Editor of the Year Award, Martins Ayankola of The Punch and Nasir Lawal of Daily Trust slugged it out, while in the Newspaper of the Year category, it was a straight contest among the three front-runners, Daily Trust, The Punch and The Nation newspapers.
As it turned out, both awards came the way of Daily Trust, a frontline publication of Media Trust Limited. In a measure that demonstrated that it was well deserved, the announcement was greeted with cheers, jubilation and applause.
According to the organisers, the news publication, since its establishment since 1998, has proven beyond reasonable doubt, “its innovativeness and trailblazing roles in the business of newspaper production in Abuja, the Federal Capital Territory.”


In the political reporting category, two of Daily Trust reporters: Muideen Olaniyi and Jimoh Abbas emerged as runners-up, while Ujorha Tadaferua Onosem also emerged as a runner-up in the Culture and Tradition Category. Notably, journalists from other media organisations also put up sterling performances in many other categories of the awards.
Journalists from The Nation Newspaper, for instance, won the Sport, Entertainment, Culture and Tradition, News Photography, Human Rights,
Tourism, Banking and Financing, Money Market, Oil and Gas, Telecommunication, Business Reporting, Most Innovative and Newspaper Features Writer categories.
Also, New Telegraph reporters won in Agriculture, Energy, Defence and Insurance categories while journalists from the Nigerian Tribune Newspaper picked up three awards in Political Reporting, Investigative Reporting and Columnist of the Year categories.
On the other hand, The Punch and The Guardian newspapers picked two awards apiece. While The Punch correspondents won in Power as well as Real Estate/Construction categories, the The Guardian reporters picked up prizes in Marketing Report and Print Journalism categories respectively.
Also, reporters from The Sun, The Union and Tell Magazine bagged awards in one category each. The Sun won the Cartoonist of the Year, The Union won Education Reporting, while Tell Magazine won the Foreign News category.
Earlier, the chairman, NMMA Panel of Assessors, Prof. Ralph Akinfeleye, said a total of 894 entries participated in this year’s edition. This, he described as five per cent lower when compared to the total number of entries received in 2015.
“To be nominated for any of the category, a nominee’s work must have scored 70 per cent from members of the Committee of Assessors assigned to appraise that category of award. And in awarding marks, we look out for originality, clarity in presentation and depth in reportage, among others,” Akinfeleye said.
He lamented that owing to lack of sponsorship, 10 categories of the awards could not make the 2016 edition. He listed the categories as Capital Market, Environment, Female Reporter of the Year, Industrial Report, Editorial Writer, Aviation, Maritime, Newspaper Reporter of the Year, Television Production and Radio Production.
Although Akinfeleye expressed improvement in “the qualities and quantities of works” submitted in 2016, he regretted that no entry was able to win four categories of the awards.
Other members of the Panel of Assessors were Dele Adetiba, former managing director, Lintas Advertising Plc; Ms Duro Onabolu, a public relations consultant; Emeka Nwofor, former chairman of Voice of Nigeria (VON); Alhaji G.B Kankarofi, registrar, Advertising Practitioners Council of Nigeria (APCON); Mrs. Alero Edu, media consultant; Dr Elizabeth Ikem, former provost, Nigerian Institute of
Journalism (NIJ), and Prince Gbade Sanda, public relations consultant and lecturer, Lead City University, Ibadan.
Others were Alhaji Ayodele Sulaiman, media consultant, former director, Ogun State Broadcasting Corporation (OGBC); Ndubuisi Ugbede, rector, Times Journalism Institute (TJI); Chief Ajibade Fashina Thomas, media consultant; former editor, The Punch Newspaper; Mallam Muhammed Danyaro, former director, Ministry of Information, Youth and Sports, Kano State, Ron Mgbatogu, public relations consultant, Chief (Mrs) Bolanle Olatunde, media/public relations consultant, Mrs. Dupe Oladimeji, media Consultant, former general manager, Nigeria Television Authority (NTA) Abeokuta, Dr (Mrs) Felina Nwadike, associate professor, Department of Mass Communication, Federal University, Otuoke, Bayelsa State and Barde Francis, media consultant.
The NMMA trustee and chief administrator, Samuel Akeju, applauded the roles of the founding fathers in the institutionalisation of the annual award. He expressed commitment to keep the flag flying.
“As we stride towards the 25th award presentation event in 2017, we are reminded of the vision, mission, objectives and projections of the NNMA at inception in 1990. The promise and assurance we gave to eminent media leaders and veterans, specially invited to lead, guide and direct the NMMA vision as members of the Board of Trustees.
“The management of Ideas Communications remains grateful to the pioneer chairman of the Board of Trustees, Alhaji (Dr) Ismail Babatunde Jose and other eminent leaders who graciously agreed with the founder and chief administrator on the noble objectives of setting up the NMMA in 1990 and the challenges of sustaining it till date.
“We are profoundly grateful to God Almighty for what we have been able to achieve so far, in fulfillment of the vision and promise of the NMMA, while we remain fully committed to ensuring a special hosting of the 25th anniversary in 2017, not only in terms of the ceremony but in the entire structure, system and value offering of the NMMA Trust LBG,’’ he said.
Similarly, the chairman, NMMA Board of Trustees, Engr. Vincent Maduka, said notwithstanding the challenges of fund being encountered, which has forced the trustees to host the award ceremony for two consecutive times in Lagos, the objective behind the initiative will not be defeated. He added that the award will also be made to encompass journalists on online platforms.
“We believe, therefore, that the objectives that we seek to promote at the NMMA should strengthen the Nigerian media in carrying out their responsibilities with diligence, ethics and professionalism,” Maduka said.

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